The other evening my husband and I were having a conversation about persuasion. He happens to be a lawyer, and I, a marketer, and therefore, the art of persuasion is something we consider to be of primary importance.

Ever noticed the brand of laptop or smart phone someone uses and extended the brand image in your perception of the person? Maybe seen someone wear or carry a specific brand of shoes or bag and instinctively associated brand traits with the person? If you have never, well...you are clearly an exception!

How often have you come across content screaming at you from your social media platform, offering up “10 places you have to see before you turn thirty” or “10 reasons why Leonardo di Caprio must win an Oscar”? The range of these new age content gimmicks is as varied as “12 uses for chalk that you never knew about” and “20 different cheeses you should try in your lifetime.” (See what we did there?)

What is Coke Studio all about?Coke Studio is an initiative to bring music of different genres together in a mellifluous mélange by the world’s largest beverages company, Coca-Cola. Originally the concept of a Brazilian show called Estudio Coca-Cola, the idea was repurposed for the subcontinent with India and Pakistan having their own versions. The repertoire of musical mixes brought together Carnatic, Hindustani, Sufi music on the one hand, with pop, funk, jazz and rock. The end result was a cumulative range of songs that were curated on YouTube and shared via social media. As a brand, Coca Cola has pivoted around the exuberance of young age, that constantly engaged with music and it was this passion for music that became the central campaign idea. By partnering with MTV, a leading youth platform, they were targeting the right audience mix.

Did you change your profile picture to include the light saber? Regardless of whether one has seen the original installments of Star Wars or not, today, the world has so ubiquitously come to know of the film – even millennials born way after the movies released – thanks to a clever digital media campaign. From Google to Facebook, Star Wars was a pretty interesting way to wed the internet with the intergalactic. But if you’re thinking theirs was the only marketing mix that included the digital media for the world of films, think again.

If Captain Cool aka Chennai Super Kings’ captain MS Dhoni and Rajnikanth are anything to go by, it is no surprise that it takes a lot more for Chennai’s people to be riled and shaken out of their normal lives. Right up on top of the ladder with Mumbai’s resilience and Delhi’s activism, comes Chennai’s calmness. With the floods crossing all thresholds of acceptable levels, it became imperative for swift action to dispense aid, rescue and supplies to those in need. And what rose to the occasion? Social Media, of course!